Short Summary

A common religion brought pilgrims to the Sikh shrine of the Punja Sahib at Hasanabdal' in West Pakistan from both Pakistan and India this week.

Description

A common religion brought pilgrims to the Sikh shrine of the Punja Sahib at Hasanabdal' in West Pakistan from both Pakistan and India this week.

The Sikhs forgot their differences over the civil war in East Pakistan to congregate at the shrine, and some of the Indian pilgrims made a point of thanking the Pakistan authorities for maintaining their gurdwara, or place of worship, and giving them facilities for a comfortable stay during the three days of the "Baisakhi" Festival, which ended on April 15th.

Sikhism is a religion combining Islamic and Hindu beliefs, and on this occasion it linked the Islamic state of Pakistan, now striving for unity, with its parent India at a time when their relations are at their worst.